Heat closes dozens of school districts

HARTFORD -- Dozens of schools districts across Connecticut closed early Monday as temperatures topped 90 degrees for the second consecutive day.

The National Weather Service issued heat and air quality advisories for much of the state. The city of Hartford also opened free cooling stations so people could find relief from the sweltering heat.

"Literally, you could cook an egg off the hood of a black car today. It just takes the starch out of you," said Jim Cordier, director of social and health services for nearby East Hartford, which opened a cooling station for senior citizens.

Local television stations are reporting at least 75 school districts, including Catholic schools and technical schools, closing early, canceling afternoon kindergarten or afternoon activities.

Many schools lack air conditioning and cross ventilation, said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of Education.

Murphy says the partial day shouldn't pose a problem for the state's 580,000 public school system in meeting the required 900 hours of instructional hours for the school year. State law gives local districts the authority to shorten school on any given day, on a case-by-case basis.

The heat wave is part of a system stretching from Connecticut to the Carolinas, with temperatures expected to hit 100 from Georgia to New York, the National Weather Service said.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency predicted that the high temperatures would likely result in unhealthy air quality Tuesday for Connecticut, Rhode Island and much of Massachusetts.